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According to the Carphone Warehouse website, one of the features for the GalaxyS2 is quoted as HSDPA+. Is this an oversite on carphone warehouses part or will HSDPA+ actually be available to us in the uk?
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/news/coming-soon/samsung_galaxy_s_2
The Samsung Galaxy S 2 is coming soon to The Carphone Warehouse! Just 8.49mm at its thinnest point, Galaxy S 2 is officially the World's slimmest smartphone. It comes with the latest version of Android and a brilliant NEW Super Amoled + display.
Dual core processor, for superb performance
Super fast web browsing with NEW HSDPA+ technology
Full 1080p HD video recording and onscreen playback
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Optimised for entertainment:
Internet
NEW HSDPA+ technology makes your 3G mobile network connection faster, so you can download more content, load online videos more easily and enjoy the web more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the phone has HSPDA+ (4G)
the question is if your phone company supports 4G or not
even if 4G is not an option for your cell company, you can still get 3G with the phone
yeh the question is whether uk phone companies will support hspa+ as it is an extension of 3g really?
because if not they shouldnt be advertising a feature that is disabled.
or due to the recently announced 4g spectrum auction, they are just meaning it will be compatible once the 4g network is set up.
its just hsdpa+ enabled and thats that... what carrier the consumer will be using and if the carrier supports it, is none of their business. they sell internationally just because uk carriers dont support this yet doesnt mean that they arent supposed to describe exactly what they are selling...
no, you guys aren't understanding me. it is a uk website, not an international website of samsung, it is a uk seller selling to the uk, we have tranding standards laws so products arent missold.
do any uk people know if this is possible in this country?
I'm not quite sure you actually know what HSPA+ is - the phone does support this wireless standard, but for it to be useful to you your cell provider needs to have HSPA+ capable stations in your area. They are selling you a capable phone, not cell phone service - and the maximum speed this phone can attain is higher than other phones maximum speed.
And, of course, UK providers do support this standard. You are most likely to get a HSPA+ signal in metropolitan regions. If you absolutely have to know if your area is covered, you need to research further - but this will change over time, as more and more regions are upgraded.
But even if no cell phone provider in your area had capable stations it wouldn't be mislabeling as the seller is only describing the capabilities of the phone - you could be buying it for use outside the UK.
You really need to research before asking pointless questions.
walk.away said:
no, you guys aren't understanding me. it is a uk website, not an international website of samsung, it is a uk seller selling to the uk, we have tranding standards laws so products arent missold.
do any uk people know if this is possible in this country?
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carphone warehouse ships INTERNATIONALLY this means its shipping to countries that do have hsdpa+ carriers...
why make a big deal out of this? even if the uk doesnt have it right now they will in a few months. if they have it already, great...
Carphone Warehouse is an international company, does not mean Carphone warehouse UK ships internationally.
http://selfhelp.carphonewarehouse.com/SelfHelp/request.do?view()=c{a37ba1a0-bc8e-11de-e56d-000000000000}
I am sorry if I wasn't clear with the question, I was wanting an answer/debate as to whether the UK will or already has HSPA+. I was unaware it does as we haven't sold off the old analogue wireless spectrum yet. When this is sold off (sometime mid next year at the earliest) then the networks have to implement it, so more delay.
Having worked previously for many years in electrical retail, if I told someone that their new HD tv made everything HD, that would be misselling, and breaking the law. Same logic applies to the website
NEW HSDPA+ technology makes your 3G mobile network connection faster, so you can download more content, load online videos more easily and enjoy the web more.
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Is this then true that HSPA+ is compatible with the existing 3G networks? There is no need for upgrading the wireless transmitters? I know that Vodafone has done trials but I do not know how these would be done.
Also I don't really think this is a pointless question as for UK users the SGS2 seems to be the first HSPA+ phone available. Again I know that Vodafone has done trials but no phones that have HSPA+ that are available internationally have been sold in the UK with this technology.
Also PartyMango, they are selling you a "cell phone" service as they are a 3rd party seller of Orange/T-Mobile/3/Vodafone services, CW take responsibility for the contract. CW do not sell phones this expensive unlocked or payg.
But thankyou for telling me that there is HSPA+ service already in the UK, as my phone doesn't support it I would never know and having tried to research it I couldn't find anything so asked here, and tried to let potential UK buyers know that a "4G" phone is coming soon fully capable.
Edit: Btw, I don't think locked phones on UK contracts would have cheap rates for being able to use HSPA+ data abroad.
walk.away said:
Is this then true that HSPA+ is compatible with the existing 3G networks? There is no need for upgrading the wireless transmitters? I know that Vodafone has done trials but I do not know how these would be done
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HSPA+ is the next revision of current 3g technology. Providers do need to upgrade their transmitters, but that doesn't necessarily mean replacing the hardware. Almost all recent transmitter hardware sold by equipment manufacturers to cell providers is firmware-upgradeable. Most equipment installed now is even prepared to carry LTE signals at a later time.
walk.away said:
Is this then true that HSPA+ is compatible with the existing 3G networks? There is no need for upgrading the wireless transmitters? I know that Vodafone has done trials but I do not know how these would be done.
Also I don't really think this is a pointless question as for UK users the SGS2 seems to be the first HSPA+ phone available. Again I know that Vodafone has done trials but no phones that have HSPA+ that are available internationally have been sold in the UK with this technology.
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I'm not sure about HSDPA+ but I've had HSDPA on my HTC Hero for the past 18 months with T-Mobile UK, and I know Three UK have HSDPA capability too.
According to GSMArena:
The Hero has HSDPA 900 / 2100
The original SGS has HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 (And when I played with a SGS in a Three store it had a H, so it definitely worked with Three's HSDPA network)
SGSII has HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
So I think it's just similar but with more frequencies? Not sure, but hope it helps somewhat!
EDIT: I looked it up on Wikipedia and HSPA+ is a much faster connection, I'm sure we don't have that in the UK yet, perhaps it's just a misprint on the website?
Ayrlupine said:
EDIT: I looked it up on Wikipedia and HSPA+ is a much faster connection, I'm sure we don't have that in the UK yet, perhaps it's just a misprint on the website?
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HSPA+ does feature different speed levels, on the phone side as well as on the network side - many cell providers all around the world do have it, UK providers too. It would be very odd for the UK networks not to feature this technology, as opposed to most domestic european cell networks. But rural areas most often won't have HSPA+ coverage.
And it is no misprint as the website is advertising the phones capabilities, not a specific cell providers network features.
4G like 3G they are all shared bandwidth
so don't expect to see full speed in heavily populated area
if 200 people happened to be connected to the same cell phone tower pumping out 4G, then all 200 people are sharing the same 21 Mbps bandwidth
that means each one will probably be getting in reality 2.1 Mbps at best
of course that's like a worse case scenario, and only if all 200 people are actually downloading heavy content off the network
Sorry about the double post T.T
Three UK are supposedly rolling out HSPA+ this year, they've just announced a HSPA+ capable mobile broadband dongle. (I have no source, I'm lazy, just google HSPA+ UK or HSPA+ Three.)
So that's pretty neat, I'm thinking of getting SGSII with Three, hopefully I'll be able to hop on the HSPA+ when it rolls out!
AllGamer said:
if 200 people happened to be connected to the same cell phone tower pumping out 4G, then all 200 people are sharing the same 21 Mbps bandwidth
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Number of frequencies that can be used simultaneously on a cell tower has gradually increased from 1 upto 4 today and maybe more later.
So upto 4 frequencies can be used in the same area and each frequency can handle 21 Mbps.
Later there will be phones that can handle several frequencies simultaneously
to get higher speed.
so with this being a hsdpa+ device is it safe to assume that if I were to buy a British sim free version that I can pop in my tmobile sim card would only have 3G speeds?
the fact that is says hsdpa+ and not hspa+ kinda makes me worried that the s2 cant achieve "4G" speeds. (at least the british version)
someone correct me if im wrong but hsdpa+ is the technical term for what tmobile calls 3g and hspa+ is supposed 4G.
Your phone will be able to achieve the highest speed its standards and the implemented network standard allow - the Galaxy S II supports 21 Mbps down (HSPA+) and 5,76 Mbps up (HSUPA). These are the maximum supported speeds/standard, of course the phone can utilize older standards like HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE or even GPRS as well if the local network won't support anything better. If this were a HSDPA+ phone, the maximum achievable speed would be 14,4 Mbps.
4G is nothing more than a marketing term, used by different cell providers for different standards. At this point, it has lost its meaning. (But, yes, by your definition, the Galaxy S2 is going to be a "4g device")
PartyMango said:
Your phone will be able to achieve the highest speed its standards and the implemented network standard allow - the Galaxy S II supports 21 Mbps down (HSPA+) and 5,76 Mbps up (HSUPA). These are the maximum supported speeds/standard, of course the phone can utilize older standards like HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE or even GPRS as well if the local network won't support anything better. If this were a HSDPA+ phone, the maximum achievable speed would be 14,4 Mbps.
4G is nothing more than a marketing term, used by different cell providers for different standards. At this point, it has lost its meaning. (But, yes, by your definition, the Galaxy S2 is going to be a "4g device")
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Right I could care less about the 4g wars because none of these network technologies are true 4g. BUT with that being said there is a big difference is real world speed levels between the 2. The GS4G is advertised as a hspa+ and hsdpa+ capable device that is capable of 21mbps. Of course I've never seen anything over 10 but the SGS2 is only being advertised as hsdpa+. So with that being said I guess its safe to say that the SGS2 does not have a hspa+ radio in it. Only an hsdpa+ radio. Correct? None of the docs I've seen show that it is a hspa+ capable device
Sent from my DAMN Galaxy 4G¡!
walk.away said:
no, you guys aren't understanding me. it is a uk website, not an international website of samsung, it is a uk seller selling to the uk, we have tranding standards laws so products arent missold.
do any uk people know if this is possible in this country?
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I am from the UK and can't see how this breaks any trading standard laws. Listing what features the phone actually has does not break TS if the carrier you use it with does not support it. It's no different to listing the phone has quad band even though some of those frequencies are not used in UK. It is fine for Carphone warehouse to list features they know are not supported in UK because:
1. They may be supported in UK in future.
2. Some customers may go overseas and roam to other carriers that do support those features.
But, to answer your direct question. I have not heard about any UK carriers who support HSPA+. This wiki lists worldwide carriers that do support it but UK is not listed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSPA%2B.
Hi all
Thanks in advance for any help please provide links if possible. So I've finally stopped waiting for Nokia and then Nokia/Microsoft to get their act together and jumped on the android wagon. It seems android has everything I'm looking for (sync to outlook, office document viewing editing, etc not Garmin yet though).
Anyway I've been doing research on the Samsung galaxy s2 and found some discussion on the 3G modem/antenna being penta band. Is this true? If so can I get links, also how do you enable all the bands? Or can you enable those bands that pertain to the firmware and have to keep the other bands on the phone so if you need them you can flash.
Side question I played with a korean S2 and saw that it has NFC on the apps (out of the box). I'm pretty sure this is true but I'm having some doubts as the FAQ and some other forum member claim that no current S2 has this feature.
Thanks
It's quad band 3G. 850/900/1900/2100. It does not do 1700.
From Samsung.com:
Quad band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Quad band UMTS 850/900/1900/2100
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As for NFC, the I9100 does not have it. I'm not sure if any of the other Asian models (different model numbers too) have it or not.
I heard that the modem intel x626 gold is penta band (unconfirmed) that is in the galaxy s2. Also the tmobile version is coming out which has 1700mhz this might lead me to believe that it is penta band in hardware and only needs software.
Only the korean version of the s2 has NFC.
No other version has it as cell phone providers are thinking of releasing it attached to the sim card as soon as the technology has stabilized and is widely available in a number of countries.
here is some information about in this blog.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/01/netcom-shows-off-microsd-card-with-integrated-nfc-goodness-vide/
Duplicated
Duplicated
the sd card sounds like a good idea as a aftermarket part but I thought I saw the SGS2 with NFC on ebay as the I9101. what would happen if I had to add extra memory to the phone?
Duplicated
I emailed Brian Klug that did the review of the SGS2 on Anandtech.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/
It is one of the most in depth that I have seen but here is what he says about the SGS2 being penta band.
"XG-626 is compatible with more bands, however the limiting factor always is whether the device manufacturer has provided the power amps for those other bands, and in this case there aren't more."
My family will be taking a trip to Costa Rica this coming February. You can buy a prepaid SIM card from Kölbi (ICE) at the airport. I've done a little research and it appears that an unlocked phone should work for both voice and 3G data so long as the phone supports Costa Rica's bands, 1800 on GSM and 850 on UMTS.
I've come across an inexpensive Android phones, the Pantech Crossover, that seem to fit the bill. Do you guys think that this phone will work? Other than requesting 3G data and setting the APN, is there anything else I need to do to get 3G data to work?
Thanks!
gm2racer said:
My family will be taking a trip to Costa Rica this coming February. You can buy a prepaid SIM card from Kölbi (ICE) at the airport. I've done a little research and it appears that an unlocked phone should work for both voice and 3G data so long as the phone supports Costa Rica's bands, 1800 on GSM and 850 on UMTS.
I've come across an inexpensive Android phones, the Pantech Crossover, that seem to fit the bill. Do you guys think that this phone will work? Other than requesting 3G data and setting the APN, is there anything else I need to do to get 3G data to work?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it should work but make sure that the phone is SIM unlocked first before you leave on your trip. Then once you get the SIM card put it in the phone and activate it, making sure to request 3g data and setting the APN properly. If you do these things you should be all set.
shimp208 said:
Yes it should work but make sure that the phone is SIM unlocked first before you leave on your trip. Then once you get the SIM card put it in the phone and activate it, making sure to request 3g data and setting the APN properly. If you do these things you should be all set.
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shimp208, thanks for the response. Anybody know how well Google Maps (especially Navigation) works in Costa Rica? Can it create routable directions based on address or POI?
Thanks!
gm2racer said:
shimp208, thanks for the response. Anybody know how well Google Maps (especially Navigation) works in Costa Rica? Can it create routable directions based on address or POI?
Thanks!
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Google maps should work just fine, unfortunately Costa Rica isn't know for having blazing fast mobile data speeds so finding the map routes might take a while to load. That being said yes it can create directions based on address or others points of interest. Overall, it should work fine you just might have to be a little patient with waiting for map directions.
I should have asked this earlier. Are there any other inexpensive Android phones that might fit the bill? I'm looking to spend as little money as possible.
gm2racer said:
I should have asked this earlier. Are there any other inexpensive Android phones that might fit the bill? I'm looking to spend as little money as possible.
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The LG Thrive P506 Black 3G Unlocked Cell Phone should fit the bill for you. Its only $105 and has the required wireless bands, is unlocked, and should be more then enough for a cheap phone to be used for getting some gps directions, making a couple calls, or looking up some points of interest.
shimp208 said:
The LG Thrive P506 Black 3G Unlocked Cell Phone should fit the bill for you. Its only $105 and has the required wireless bands, is unlocked, and should be more then enough for a cheap phone to be used for getting some gps directions, making a couple calls, or looking up some points of interest.
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shimp208, thanks for the suggestion. Since I've got some time before the trip, I'm weighing my options. Currently I'm considering the following:
A used AT&T phone (assuming that I can unlock it) off eBay - under $100
A new unlocked Pantech Crossover - under $70
A new unlocked LG Thrive from NewEgg - $105
A Zopo ZP500 cheap Chinese Android phone, but appears to work on AT&T's frequencies - $170
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
Thanks!
BTW, I posted a question on the TripAdvisor forum for Costa Rica regarding buying a prepaid sim card when I get in country and somebody suggested that I acquire the sim card through costaricacellularconnection before I go and activate the sim/phone when I get in country. Has anybody used this service?
gm2racer said:
shimp208, thanks for the suggestion. Since I've got some time before the trip, I'm weighing my options. Currently I'm considering the following:
A used AT&T phone (assuming that I can unlock it) off eBay - under $100
A new unlocked Pantech Crossover - under $70
A new unlocked LG Thrive from NewEgg - $105
A Zopo ZP500 cheap Chinese Android phone, but appears to work on AT&T's frequencies - $170
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
Thanks!
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While I haven't used it personally it seems to have good reviews with people being really happy with the performance you get for the price. And to answer your question about 3G on the 850Mhz band yes that should work.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
shimp208, I wound up getting a used LG Phoenix (the postpaid version of the Thrive) off ebay. Should be arriving tomorrow.
gm2racer said:
shimp208, I wound up getting a uses LG Phoenix (the postpaid version of the Thrive) off ebay. Should be arriving tomorrow.
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Just looked at this phone seems like a good choice enjoy your trip
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Unfortunately the Phoenix arrived and had a busted microSD slot as it would not recognize any of my cards. So I wound up getting a new Pantech Burst. Worked out in my favor as the Burst seems to be (at least on paper) a significantly more powerful device (1.5Ghz dual core Snapdragon CPU, 1GB RAM, & 16GB flash).
gm2racer said:
Unfortunately the Phoenix arrived and had a busted microSD slot as it would not recognize any of my cards. So I wound up getting a new Pantech Burst. Worked out in my favor as the Burst seems to be (at least on paper) a significantly more powerful device (1.5Ghz dual core Snapdragon CPU, 1GB RAM, & 16GB flash).
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Yes that is a much more powerful device compared to the Phoenix dual 1.2 Ghz (From what I read) vs 800 mhz and 1 GB vs 512 RAM, plus bigger and better screen is the better choice.
Ordered a ZOPO ZP500+
gm2racer said:
A Zopo ZP500 cheap Chinese Android phone, but appears to work on AT&T's frequencies - $170
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered a ZOPO ZP500+. I've read it is identical to the ZP500 with the exception that the single core MTK6575 CPU was swapped out with the pin-for-pin-compatible dual core MTK6577. In addition to the dual SIM functionality, I like the fact it is dual core and a quad band where both 2G and 3G should work in Asia, Europe, and North America.
It purports to have 850MHz 3G, and I have read of an Australian user using this phone's 3G with 850MHz and also a Canadian with 3G at 850MHz. It reads to be reasonably popular amongst Russian users. Can't say I know the specifics of AT&T's 850 MHz implementation so I can't comment.
I anticipate delivery of the phone in a week's time, when I am keen to get a good look at it then.
oldcpu said:
I ordered a ZOPO ZP500+. I've read it is identical to the ZP500 with the exception that the single core MTK6575 CPU was swapped out with the pin-for-pin-compatible dual core MTK6577. In addition to the dual SIM functionality, I like the fact it is dual core and a quad band where both 2G and 3G should work in Asia, Europe, and North America.
It purports to have 850MHz 3G, and I have read of an Australian user using this phone's 3G with 850MHz and also a Canadian with 3G at 850MHz. It reads to be reasonably popular amongst Russian users. Can't say I know the specifics of AT&T's 850 MHz implementation so I can't comment.
I anticipate delivery of the phone in a week's time, when I am keen to get a good look at it then.
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What specifically are you trying to figure out about AT&T's 850 MHz implementation? Here is a map of where AT&T has 850 MHz 3G coverage in the U.S, if you follow the link and scroll up there should also be a map of AT&T's 1900 MHz spectrum coverage.
3G 850MHz coverage in North America
shimp208 said:
What specifically are you trying to figure out about AT&T's 850 MHz implementation? Here is a map of where AT&T has 850 MHz 3G coverage in the U.S, if you follow the link and scroll up there should also be a map of AT&T's 1900 MHz spectrum coverage.
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Those are great maps of AT&T's 850MHz (and 1900 MHz coverage).
I'm not looking for AT&T coverage myself, but rather interested in coverage in Canada (specifically Saskatchewan and also Ontario). I only mentioned AT&T in this thread because of this post in the thread:
gm2racer said:
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
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Again, AT&T is not of interest to me.
Reference my interest in Saskatchewan's and Ontario's coverage, the best I have been able to find so far is this site: http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/index.php
oldcpu said:
Those are great maps of AT&T's 850MHz (and 1900 MHz coverage).
I'm not looking for AT&T coverage myself, but rather interested in coverage in Canada (specifically Saskatchewan and also Ontario). I only mentioned AT&T in this thread because of this post in the thread:
Again, AT&T is not of interest to me.
Reference my interest in Saskatchewan's and Ontario's coverage, the best I have been able to find so far is this site: http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/index.php
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If your looking to get coverage in those Canadian areas I would use the website you looked at to find out which carriers have 3G 850 MHz coverage in the areas you want. Then once you know what carriers have coverage in the areas you want, I'd go out and buy a prepaid SIM from among the the carrier that offers the coverage your looking for and then go with whatever carrier has the best value for the money in terms of data usage, etc. and use that.
oldcpu said:
I ordered a ZOPO ZP500+. I've read it is identical to the ZP500 with the exception that the single core MTK6575 CPU was swapped out with the pin-for-pin-compatible dual core MTK6577. In addition to the dual SIM functionality, I like the fact it is dual core and a quad band where both 2G and 3G should work in Asia, Europe, and North America.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know how the Zopo works out. I'm interested in knowing how well these Chinese MTK6575/6577 phones work. Had I not gotten a great deal on a new Burst on eBay I would have really been considering one of these. An interesting development (at least in the GSM space) is that the Nexus 4 is within $100 US of most of the currently available Chinese dual core phones. That will put a real price squeeze on the next gen quad core phones...
gm2racer said:
Let us know how the Zopo works out. I'm interested in knowing how well these Chinese MTK6575/6577 phones work. Had I not gotten a great deal on a new Burst on eBay I would have really been considering one of these. An interesting development (at least in the GSM space) is that the Nexus 4 is within $100 US of most of the currently available Chinese dual core phones. That will put a real price squeeze on the next gen quad core phones...
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Sure will, to me unless your really on a tight budget it seems like a no brainer to invest the extra $100 or so for not only significantly more powerful hardware but also a lot better community support due to the very open nature of nexus devices.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Maybe it's just my games talking, but the Xperia Play is pretty cheap unlocked now.
Has anyone tried using one of the white unlocked Lumia 920 from Clove (I guess the ones from Expansys are the same) on an LTE network?
Specifically, do you have the "4G" option in the "highest connection speed" settings?
In my case, although I am using an LTE SIM with an LTE network on a supported band, I only have "2G" and "3G" options in the Highest Connection Speed settings. So normally it is only connecting over HSPA. Through playing around a lot with scanning LTE bands with the Field Test tool (##3282#), I can sometimes get the device to connect to LTE, after which it works perfectly on LTE until reboot. But it's not really a long-term solution.
The default firmware on my device is country variant "CV GB SW Variant ID 276 v03" which (apart from the version number) seems to be the same firmware as that sold by Orange / T-Mobile in the UK (i.e. for 3G networks).
I was thinking about trying to flash the EE firmware, but concerned this could create other issues (such as end up locking the phone to EE, or to certain LTE bands, or something...). Any thoughts appreciated.
You don't mention where you are, but that might help respondents.
As you may know, the LTE bands are different between the NA and Europe. The LTE Bands listed on the international version are 800/900/1800/2100/2600 while the NA(Rogers & AT&T) version has 700/850/1700/1900/2100.
Are you sure you are connecting to the LTE bands? Do you have an LTE SIM installed?
tomdjp said:
Has anyone tried using one of the white unlocked Lumia 920 from Clove (I guess the ones from Expansys are the same) on an LTE network?
Specifically, do you have the "4G" option in the "highest connection speed" settings?
In my case, although I am using an LTE SIM with an LTE network on a supported band, I only have "2G" and "3G" options in the Highest Connection Speed settings. So normally it is only connecting over HSPA. Through playing around a lot with scanning LTE bands with the Field Test tool (##3282#), I can sometimes get the device to connect to LTE, after which it works perfectly on LTE until reboot. But it's not really a long-term solution.
The default firmware on my device is country variant "CV GB SW Variant ID 276 v03" which (apart from the version number) seems to be the same firmware as that sold by Orange / T-Mobile in the UK (i.e. for 3G networks).
I was thinking about trying to flash the EE firmware, but concerned this could create other issues (such as end up locking the phone to EE, or to certain LTE bands, or something...). Any thoughts appreciated.
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Click to collapse
Have a look at this offivial Blog post from Nokia.
http://goo.gl/L2eiy
They basically saying that even-thought the new Lumias are LTE ready they will required a software update to turn LTE ON.
The information on that is very limited as Nokia didn't specify ANY details on how they will push this OTA.
What happens if you have an unlock device and use it in a different country of its origins? How they will push the update under what criteria?
Is the update is driven by the SIM ID? They will update the OS and turn ON LTE depending the SIM region or the device IMEI region?? Nobody knows...
Even worst there is a rumor that the latest Snapdragon S4 is supporting all 9 LTE bands at ONCE and the software just enable the appropriate ones, its programmable from the firmware. If this is true, then Nokia is committing a suicide here, they can simply program WP8 to recognize the SIM ID and turn ON/OFF LTE Bands depending the Network. Going with OTAs across different devices and regions will be a mess.
nMIK-3 said:
Have a look at this offivial Blog post from Nokia.
http://goo.gl/L2eiy
They basically saying that even-thought the new Lumias are LTE ready they will required a software update to turn LTE ON.
The information on that is very limited as Nokia didn't specify ANY details on how they will push this OTA.
What happens if you have an unlock device and use it in a different country of its origins? How they will push the update under what criteria?
Is the update is driven by the SIM ID? They will update the OS and turn ON LTE depending the SIM region or the device IMEI region?? Nobody knows...
Even worst there is a rumor that the latest Snapdragon S4 is supporting all 9 LTE bands at ONCE and the software just enable the appropriate ones, its programmable from the firmware. If this is true, then Nokia is committing a suicide here, they can simply program WP8 to recognize the SIM ID and turn ON/OFF LTE Bands depending the Network. Going with OTAs across different devices and regions will be a mess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are international versions that HAVE ALL 9 LTE bands enabled and also petaband 3G.
For example in Germany:
http://www.nokia.com/de-de/produkte/smartphones-und-handys/lumia920/technische-daten/ (expand where it says "Basisdaten")
or in Singapore:
http://www.nokia.com/sg-en/products/phone/lumia920/specifications/ (expand where it says "Hardware")
or also in Switzerland:
http://www.nokia.com/ch-de/produkte/smartphones-und-handys/lumia920/technische-daten/ (expand where it says "Basisdaten")
I think there might be a good chance that you can unlock those extra bands on international versions (RM-821) that have them disabled by flashing a different firmware version. However this is just me thinking out loud so please don't blame me if it doesn't work or if it breaks your phone!
However I would strong discourage you from flashing an RM-821 firmware to an RM-820 (North American version) as I know that sb around here almost broke his phone by doing so.
Hi all
Thanks for your replies so far.
Right now I am using the phone in Japan, where there are three carriers with Band 1 (2100 MHz) LTE networks. I only tried one carrier so far, and yes it is an LTE SIM. As mentioned, I can actually connect to LTE and have used it for several hours, it's just necessary to use an unreliable trick (with ##3282#) to get the phone to see the LTE network. This seems related to the fact there is no 4G option in my highest connection settings.
Thanks for the heads-up on the OTA updates, agreed it's not clear how this will work at all...
Regarding the LTE band support, personally (although it's just my intuition) I think the lists of 9 LTE supported bands on those regional Nokia websites are probably in error (it wouldn't be the first time). Normally the most reliable source in Nokia's website is Nokia Developers, which clearly shows five bands for global RM-821 (1, 3, 7, 8, 20) and four bands for AT&T RM-820 (2, 4, 5, 17).
While the Snapdragon baseband may be able to support all 9 bands, the most difficult part of the design is the RF - filters, amplifiers, etc. So I imagine different RF chains are used in the two variants to support these specific bands.
Again, if anyone has the unlocked RM-821 and tried with an LTE SIM, if you could confirm if the 4G setting is available in highest connection settings, it would be much appreciated.
karlmueller said:
There are international versions that HAVE ALL 9 LTE bands enabled and also petaband 3G.
For example in Germany:
http://www.nokia.com/de-de/produkte/smartphones-und-handys/lumia920/technische-daten/ (expand where it says "Basisdaten")
or in Singapore:
http://www.nokia.com/sg-en/products/phone/lumia920/specifications/ (expand where it says "Hardware")
or also in Switzerland:
http://www.nokia.com/ch-de/produkte/smartphones-und-handys/lumia920/technische-daten/ (expand where it says "Basisdaten")
I think there might be a good chance that you can unlock those extra bands on international versions (RM-821) that have them disabled by flashing a different firmware version. However this is just me thinking out loud so please don't blame me if it doesn't work or if it breaks your phone!
However I would strong discourage you from flashing an RM-821 firmware to an RM-820 (North American version) as I know that sb around here almost broke his phone by doing so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the same thing on PentaBand 3G and 9 Bands LTE, however in another discussion we verified (at least for the German model) that even thought the Nokia German website states PentaBand 3G and 9 Bands LTE, in the retail Box it only mentions QuadBand 3G (AWS missing) and PentaBand LTE.
With the Canadian model being PentaBand and Snapdragon's S4 Specs claiming that is fully supporting it, along with the programmable LTE, we really have no clue of whats really going on until Nokia, or anyone else clarify it...
I have a very bad feeling that the all 920s are PentaBand 3G and support all bands of LTE with programmable software but Nokia for some reason is locking specific bands on specific models/regions.
Hopefully in time we will clarify everything and hopefully its sooner rather than later..
nMIK-3 said:
I thought the same thing on PentaBand 3G and 9 Bands LTE, however in another discussion we verified (at least for the German model) that even thought the Nokia German website states PentaBand 3G and 9 Bands LTE, in the retail Box it only mentions QuadBand 3G (AWS missing) and PentaBand LTE.
With the Canadian model being PentaBand and Snapdragon's S4 Specs claiming that is fully supporting it, along with the programmable LTE, we really have no clue of whats really going on until Nokia, or anyone else clarify it...
I have a very bad feeling that the all 920s are PentaBand 3G and support all bands of LTE with programmable software but Nokia for some reason is locking specific bands on specific models/regions.
Hopefully in time we will clarify everything and hopefully its sooner rather than later..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different frequency bands require different antenna design. It is probably very difficult to design an antenna that can satisfy all LTE bands even though the chipset can support it. So, instead, Nokia is probably going to selectively make different hardware with different antenna design to fit a specific region. Apple iPhone 5 uses the similar Qualcomm chipset and it only supports very limited LTE bands for international version.
foxbat121 said:
Different frequency bands require different antenna design. It is probably very difficult to design an antenna that can satisfy all LTE bands even though the chipset can support it. So, instead, Nokia is probably going to selectively make different hardware with different antenna design to fit a specific region. Apple iPhone 5 uses the similar Qualcomm chipset and it only supports very limited LTE bands for international version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For 3G PentaBand is now standard in almost all chips and since the Canadian variant comes with PentaBand on board and the fact that is standard on the S4 I really see no reason of why Nokia will order a custom version of the S4 to just physically take off the AWS. It doesn't make any sense, so if its missing, most likely is turn off in firmware.
For the LTE. Qualcomm introduced a revolutionary technology called Software Defined Radio or simply SDR and the Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 chip which is inside the Lumia 920, supports that technology. With SDR the chipset support all LTE bands from a low to high frequency, it can work in everything between, of course not at the same time, the software programs what frequency the antenna should be set.
If the Lumia 920 and its S4 really have SDR technology, they it will make sense for Nokia to have the firmware deride what LTE to make available to the user, by reading the SIM region and not providing individual updated per region, or based on device product number.
This finally solves a major issue for the manufactures because they do not have to build customs chips for specific countries, the software simply programs it. If you Google it you can find a lot of info regarding SDR. Of course we are not in the engineering team of the Lumia 920 line and its obvious whatever we say here is based on theory and specs that are available to us.
nMIK-3 said:
For 3G PentaBand is now standard in almost all chips and since the Canadian variant comes with PentaBand on board and the fact that is standard on the S4 I really see no reason of why Nokia will order a custom version of the S4 to just physically take off the AWS. It doesn't make any sense, so if its missing, most likely is turn off in firmware.
For the LTE. Qualcomm introduced a revolutionary technology called Software Defined Radio or simply SDR and the Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 chip which is inside the Lumia 920, supports that technology. With SDR the chipset support all LTE bands from a low to high frequency, it can work in everything between, of course not at the same time, the software programs what frequency the antenna should be set.
If the Lumia 920 and its S4 really have SDR technology, they it will make sense for Nokia to have the firmware deride what LTE to make available to the user, by reading the SIM region and not providing individual updated per region, or based on device product number.
This finally solves a major issue for the manufactures because they do not have to build customs chips for specific countries, the software simply programs it. If you Google it you can find a lot of info regarding SDR. Of course we are not in the engineering team of the Lumia 920 line and its obvious whatever we say here is based on theory and specs that are available to us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you understand radio technology at all, you should know the most important part that make all things work is the radio antenna, not the chipset. The chipset itself can't receive or transmit radio signal without a proper antenna. Try to disconnect your car radio antenna and see how many stations you can receive
foxbat121 said:
If you understand radio technology at all, you should know the most important part that make all things work is the radio antenna, not the chipset. The chipset itself can't receive or transmit radio signal without a proper antenna. Try to disconnect your car radio antenna and see how many stations you can receive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're going a bit off-topic from the thread here, but you're right - SDR defines the baseband, not the RF components.
If you look at Nokia's FCC filing for the RM-821, you can see it has two cellular antennas ("main" and "MIMO") for each of two bands ("HB" high-band and "LB" low-band). Presumably LB is used for bands below 1 GHz or so, while HB is used for bands above. So you can see it's not necessary to have different antennas for every band - bands 1 to 4 (including AWS) could also use the same antennas, for example.
However, each band needs its own RF filters to prevent interference from neighbouring channels, and also needs amplifiers that have flat gain over those bands. These RF components are usually band specific, relatively bulky and expensive, and there are some challenges to use several RF chains in parallel. To my understanding these are the limiting factors that explain why a given device tends to support maximum 4 or 5 LTE channels.
tomdjp said:
We're going a bit off-topic from the thread here, but you're right - SDR defines the baseband, not the RF components.
If you look at Nokia's FCC filing for the RM-821, you can see it has two cellular antennas ("main" and "MIMO") for each of two bands ("HB" high-band and "LB" low-band). Presumably LB is used for bands below 1 GHz or so, while HB is used for bands above. So you can see it's not necessary to have different antennas for every band - bands 1 to 4 (including AWS) could also use the same antennas, for example.
However, each band needs its own RF filters to prevent interference from neighbouring channels, and also needs amplifiers that have flat gain over those bands. These RF components are usually band specific, relatively bulky and expensive, and there are some challenges to use several RF chains in parallel. To my understanding these are the limiting factors that explain why a given device tends to support maximum 4 or 5 LTE channels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You nail it.
foxbat121 said:
If you understand radio technology at all, you should know the most important part that make all things work is the radio antenna, not the chipset. The chipset itself can't receive or transmit radio signal without a proper antenna. Try to disconnect your car radio antenna and see how many stations you can receive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that a joke?? I am spending my time explaining what SDR is and I am getting that respond??
I am assuming that I am talking with a person that knows at least a modern chipset like the S4 package contains all the antennas for GSM/WCDMA/LTE a separate antenna for Bluetooth and Wifi, GPS (S4 also includes GLONASS), the CPU and the Adreno GPU.
All the above come in the same tinny chip that in the size of your nail. And all this is called the "chipset". Qualcomm does not use a separate antenna anymore its integrated to the chipset.
nMIK-3 said:
Is that a joke?? I am spending my time explaining what SDR is and I am getting that respond??
I am assuming that I am talking with a person that knows at least a modern chipset like the S4 package contains all the antennas for GSM/WCDMA/LTE a separate antenna for Bluetooth and Wifi, GPS (S4 also includes GLONASS), the CPU and the Adreno GPU.
All the above come in the same tinny chip that in the size of your nail. And all this is called the "chipset". Qualcomm does not use a separate antenna anymore its integrated to the chipset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With respect, that's not right - the antennas and RF components are external to the chipset.
Go and get the SAR compliance test report for Nokia 920 from the FCC's website, and you can see diagrams showing the external antennas for cellular, WLAN/BT and GPS which are positioned in various places inside the phone's chassis (btw, the LB MIMO antenna is about 7 cm long!)
Or go and check out the iFixit teardown for iPhone 5 and you can see the same kind of thing...
tomdjp said:
With respect, that's not right - the antennas and RF components are external to the chipset.
Go and get the SAR compliance test report for Nokia 920 from the FCC's website, and you can see diagrams showing the external antennas for cellular, WLAN/BT and GPS which are positioned in various places inside the phone's chassis (btw, the LB MIMO antenna is about 7 cm long!)
Or go and check out the iFixit teardown for iPhone 5 and you can see the same kind of thing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct. Many manufactures are placing antenna extensions and putting additional GPS censor in more practical areas.
The actual GSM/WCDMA/LTE modem WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS for Qualacom solutions are placed inside the chipset.
Please see http://www.qualcomm.com/chipsets/snapdragon for more information.
4g / LTE
tomdjp said:
Has anyone tried using one of the white unlocked Lumia 920 from Clove (I guess the ones from Expansys are the same) on an LTE network?
Specifically, do you have the "4G" option in the "highest connection speed" settings?
In my case, although I am using an LTE SIM with an LTE network on a supported band, I only have "2G" and "3G" options in the Highest Connection Speed settings. So normally it is only connecting over HSPA. Through playing around a lot with scanning LTE bands with the Field Test tool (##3282#), I can sometimes get the device to connect to LTE, after which it works perfectly on LTE until reboot. But it's not really a long-term solution.
The default firmware on my device is country variant "CV GB SW Variant ID 276 v03" which (apart from the version number) seems to be the same firmware as that sold by Orange / T-Mobile in the UK (i.e. for 3G networks).
I was thinking about trying to flash the EE firmware, but concerned this could create other issues (such as end up locking the phone to EE, or to certain LTE bands, or something...). Any thoughts appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I go into into field test mode and it says 4g then asks what LTE Band. My phone shows 4G not LTE in top left... is it LTE or 3G+?
Does anyone know what the different bands stand for? (band 5 etc) under the field service menu?
zok-star said:
Does anyone know what the different bands stand for? (band 5 etc) under the field service menu?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Likely they are LTE bands (e.g. band 5 = 850 MHz), but as you probably noticed they don't completely match with the LTE band support of the device. Keep in mind this field test program was probably thrown together by Nokia's R&D guys for internal testing only (not for consumers), so could be a legacy of earlier testing, another device variant, or some other reason...
Anyway, it seems fine to keep this setting on Automatic.
dougwallace said:
I go into into field test mode and it says 4g then asks what LTE Band. My phone shows 4G not LTE in top left... is it LTE or 3G+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Doug, could you share what version of the Lumia 920 you have, and which firmware?
As mentioned in my mail above, there seems no problem to leave the 4G band on automatic, and the bands available to be selected don't seem relevant. (My device picks up Band 1 LTE networks even though band 1 is not in the list).
Regarding 4G vs LTE, my device (unlocked UK CV) shows 4G in the top left when it is connected to LTE. I assume this can be changed by Nokia depending on the operator's requirement (esp in the US where 4G means HSPA...). You can be sure you're on LTE by going back to the field test menu, selecting GSM option, then looking at "Radio Access Technology". If you're on LTE, it should say LTE there.
tomdjp said:
Likely they are LTE bands (e.g. band 5 = 850 MHz), but as you probably noticed they don't completely match with the LTE band support of the device. Keep in mind this field test program was probably thrown together by Nokia's R&D guys for internal testing only (not for consumers), so could be a legacy of earlier testing, another device variant, or some other reason...
Anyway, it seems fine to keep this setting on Automatic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've kept mine on all automatic and i have noticed it switch to 4G at times, but then when i go to use it, it'll flick back to 3G... I'll need to test this in CBD sometime this week.
I got my device from clove, but im in Australia on Telstra 4G network. They use 1800mhz.
zok-star said:
I've kept mine on all automatic and i have noticed it switch to 4G at times, but then when i go to use it, it'll flick back to 3G... I'll need to test this in CBD sometime this week.
I got my device from clove, but im in Australia on Telstra 4G network. They use 1800mhz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, yes better to test in CBD where there's strong LTE signal.
In your Settings => Mobile Network, do you have a "4G" option under "Highest connection speed", or is it 2G and 3G only?
I am not a Developer but am a Power User of Android for work and play using for Proposals,
Invoices, and business and casual browsing.
No computer needed.
Let me confirm that this Model Alpha 850M an octacore made for North, South, Central America and the Caribbean Factory Unlocked LTE phone works great on the Metro/Tmobile
Network on LTE and drops to 3G on Voice Calls and a little H+ when signal weak in large buildings.
Excellent voice quality, strong radio transceiver which locks well to even low signal in buildings or near transmitting towers .
Only my second Android and my first Samsung-I have not found the horrible bloatware I have read about but do have the phone customized with many features toggled off etc.
I come from an Audio background and Phones are the only Devices which do not often sound better ( earpiece, microphones, speakerphones) on a $600 Device versus a $150 DeviceTHIS Alpha surprised me- it sounds much fuller and a little louder than 3 or 4 AT&T
Alpha 801 quad cores I auditioned before.
Either a bigger speaker, better cone material, or more power or all three- the AT&T850A is
tinny and thin sounding compared to this 850M- not sure if they are all like this but an excellent speakerphone !
So often even with Experts you can NOT get a DEFINITIVE ANSWER on whether a specific Model performs FULLY on a certain Carrier as well as branded Devices this one does on TMobile also has the 700band which TMo will be using more and more for LTE which penetrates buildings better.
LTE Bands are AWS/ 700/850/1800/1900/2100/2600
To use a highly technical Term even for Developers this little Phone "Kicks Ass".
As I have said before If this phone was about 8.5 millimeters thick with a 3000Mah Battery
a higher res screen, 3 Gigs of RAM, SD Storage and the Camera from the Note 4 and a second speaker it would have been a great hit Worldwide.
This phone has less lag than S5 and excellent as is but SHOULD have been great.
Samsung tried to COPY the Iphone rather than surpass it, underestimating the Tech Savvy of
Android Users who purchase $600 plus phones.
One BIG PROBLEM is I cannot be on Internet and a Call Simultaneously on this phone.
It DROPS TO 3 G on Calls which temporarily kills Data-not sure if this is Alpha or Network BUT I always have Internet on calls with Metro PCS.
So this Alpha may not have this feature ?
If you are on a compatible GSM network (like T-Mobile you listed), it should maintain network connection even on 3G mode unless the phone drops to 2G mode. Until VoLTE is enabled (Alpha does support it but not yet enabled), all LTE phones on AT&T or T-Mobile will have to drop to HSPA mode (H+ or 3G or 2G depending on the availability) for voice calls. But as long as you are not on 2G (E or G), you should still have simultaneous voice and network connection.
However, I did encounter similar problems on my AT&T version but a reboot of the phone solved my problem.
robertkoa said:
One BIG PROBLEM is I cannot be on Internet and a Call Simultaneously on this phone.
It DROPS TO 3 G on Calls which temporarily kills Data-not sure if this is Alpha or Network BUT I always have Internet on calls with Metro PCS.
So this Alpha may not have this feature ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something interesting here: my G850A indicates "4G" during voice calls at the top of the screen, but bringing up the status indicates that it is indeed fluctuating between HSPA+ and UMTS. AT&T being misleading? The G850M fluctuates between saying 3G and H+. (And also, when the G850M is on LTE, the indicator only says "4G," but status check shows it's LTE.)
The other strange thing is that with both phones, I have them set up to make a sound when I press keys. During voice calls, the keys make no sounds. Go figure.
foxbat121 said:
Until VoLTE is enabled (Alpha does support it but not yet enabled), all LTE phones on AT&T or T-Mobile will have to drop to HSPA mode (H+ or 3G or 2G depending on the availability) for voice calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not finding that the Alpha supports VoLTE. I have VoLTE on my T-Mobile Galaxy Avant in my area, but not on the Alpha.
Corvussimo said:
Something interesting here: my G850A indicates "4G" during voice calls at the top of the screen, but bringing up the status indicates that it is indeed fluctuating between HSPA+ and UMTS. AT&T being misleading? The G850M fluctuates between saying 3G and H+. (And also, when the G850M is on LTE, the indicator only says "4G," but status check shows it's LTE.)
The other strange thing is that with both phones, I have them set up to make a sound when I press keys. During voice calls, the keys make no sounds. Go figure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T labels HSPA/HSPA+ as 4G and LTE as 4G LTE. T-Mobile does the similar thing. In other places, HSPA+ is called 3G and LTE is called 4G. Semantics. HSPA+ is based on UMTS.
Corvussimo said:
I'm not finding that the Alpha supports VoLTE. I have VoLTE on my T-Mobile Galaxy Avant in my area, but not on the Alpha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VoLTE has to be enabled in the phone's firmware. When the time comes, AT&T will release a firmware update to enable it as it did with short list of other phones that supports VoLTE.
I see this is on Ebay right now for a good price, I assume this will work 100% on cricket wireless with LTE? Are there various model #s? On Ebay it just unlocked. I wanted to get this to use for work.
Interesting .
I am not a dev but as I recall Metro PCS was
one of the first to have VoLTE and also simultaneous Voice and Data back on 2011 or 2012 so I was used to talking on calls and always seeing 4G LTE on the phone. LG Motion 4G.
So this Alpha is my first Samsung- and my first factory unlocked phone still on Metro Tmo.
Now I see the LTE drop to 3G when I make a call but thanks to better APN Settings I almost always have voice and Internet simultaneously because the phone jumps to H or H+ and gives fast Internet on a call on H+.
I even had Youtube and a Speakerphone call a few times as silly experiment.
I also with inferior APN setting got "unable
to access Internet while on a call message"
previously so APN Settings make a big difference sometimes.
Very few problems, fast phone, good audio and sharp Camera...
Hope that Samsung has a Note 5 with removable battery and does a Compact Note kind of like super Alpha..
Not sure if Lollipop will give VoLTE to a Factory Unlocked Phone but if any Devs can achieve it for me ...good Donation .
CashmereEsquire said:
I see this is on Ebay right now for a good price, I assume this will work 100% on cricket wireless with LTE? Are there various model #s? On Ebay it just unlocked. I wanted to get this to use for work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a G850M and a G850F which both are international unlocked phones but cover different LTE bands. I would recommend that you check your carriers available bands (this is also depended on area), then cross check this with http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_alpha-6573.php
There are a few variants specifically for the asian market, but unless you live there you will have a difficult time in the US to get them.
When your G850M boots up, does it display any carrier branding?
robertkoa said:
I am not a Developer but am a Power User of Android for work and play using for Proposals,
Invoices, and business and casual browsing.
No computer needed.
Let me confirm that this Model Alpha 850M an octacore made for North, South, Central America and the Caribbean Factory Unlocked LTE phone works great on the Metro/Tmobile
Network on LTE and drops to 3G on Voice Calls and a little H+ when signal weak in large buildings.
Excellent voice quality, strong radio transceiver which locks well to even low signal in buildings or near transmitting towers .
Only my second Android and my first Samsung-I have not found the horrible bloatware I have read about but do have the phone customized with many features toggled off etc.
I come from an Audio background and Phones are the only Devices which do not often sound better ( earpiece, microphones, speakerphones) on a $600 Device versus a $150 DeviceTHIS Alpha surprised me- it sounds much fuller and a little louder than 3 or 4 AT&T
Alpha 801 quad cores I auditioned before.
Either a bigger speaker, better cone material, or more power or all three- the AT&T850A is
tinny and thin sounding compared to this 850M- not sure if they are all like this but an excellent speakerphone !
So often even with Experts you can NOT get a DEFINITIVE ANSWER on whether a specific Model performs FULLY on a certain Carrier as well as branded Devices this one does on TMobile also has the 700band which TMo will be using more and more for LTE which penetrates buildings better.
LTE Bands are AWS/ 700/850/1800/1900/2100/2600
To use a highly technical Term even for Developers this little Phone "Kicks Ass".
As I have said before If this phone was about 8.5 millimeters thick with a 3000Mah Battery
a higher res screen, 3 Gigs of RAM, SD Storage and the Camera from the Note 4 and a second speaker it would have been a great hit Worldwide.
This phone has less lag than S5 and excellent as is but SHOULD have been great.
Samsung tried to COPY the Iphone rather than surpass it, underestimating the Tech Savvy of
Android Users who purchase $600 plus phones.
One BIG PROBLEM is I cannot be on Internet and a Call Simultaneously on this phone.
It DROPS TO 3 G on Calls which temporarily kills Data-not sure if this is Alpha or Network BUT I always have Internet on calls with Metro PCS.
So this Alpha may not have this feature ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All sources that i could find on net say that SM-G850M doesn't support the band 4 on WCDMA/UMTS. They may be wrong. Since you own the device you would be the best source whether band 4 is unlocked on the device or not. I mention band 4 because that is the band t-mobile uses in most markets on 3G (fake 4G) and LTE. Go into settings\more networks\mobile networks and change the preferred network connection into 3G (or it may say 4G on your phone, just stay away from LTE), verify that it is now operating on 3G (fake 4G), then go to dialer and dial *#197328640#, choose "BASIC INFORMATION' and report what you see. I own the ATT version and when i force it (using *#*#INFO#*#*) into fake 4G it reports "RRC:IDLE, BAND:5" which is WCDMA BAND 850, that is what ATT uses here (ATT uses BAND 2 here also which is WCDMA 1900) where i live for 3G (fake 4G). When i switch back to LTE and go into this hidden menu, it reports that it is connected on "LTE RRC:IDLE BAND: 17", which is what ATT uses in my area. So you may be in market that t-mobiles uses PCS band for 3G (BAND 2) and that would explain why you do not drop on EDGE. It would be a lot clearer when you report properly on which BAND you are connected. What is concerning is that you say you loose data when making calls, which makes me think that you indeed drop to EDGE while on calls, which is painfully slow and makes you think you lost data. As i said, it would be easier to understand what is going on when you provide the whole picture ...
This is what i know that t-mobile uses on 3G:
-- BAND2 and BAND4
and LTE:
-- BAND4 and BAND17 (they might be using BAND2 too in some markets)
If your phone drops to EDGE, you won't be able to do voice and data simultaneously. You need to be on 3G (UMTS minimum) to have simultaneous voice and data.
Since Alpha only has AT&T version released in US, I'd suspect you can't buy any model of Alpha that fully supports all T-Mobile's bands because of the unique mix of bands used by T-Mobile.
The models sold on ebay varies a lot but the one I purchased says Factory unlocked by also states AT&T compatible. For all intents and purposes, the one I received is actually AT&T version, indeed factory unlocked, running AT&T branded firmware. That fits me just fine because I'm on AT&T. But if you are not on AT&T, YMMV. Cricket wireless, IIRC, is now a subsidiary of AT&T.
bormasina said:
All sources that i could find on net say that SM-G850M doesn't support the band 4 on WCDMA/UMTS. They may be wrong. Since you own the device you would be the best source whether band 4 is unlocked on the device or not. I mention band 4 because that is the band t-mobile uses in most markets on 3G (fake 4G) and LTE. Go into settings\more networks\mobile networks and change the preferred network connection into 3G (or it may say 4G on your phone, just stay away from LTE), verify that it is now operating on 3G (fake 4G), then go to dialer and dial *#197328640#, choose "BASIC INFORMATION' and report what you see. I own the ATT version and when i force it (using *#*#INFO#*#*) into fake 4G it reports "RRC:IDLE, BAND:5" which is WCDMA BAND 850, that is what ATT uses here (ATT uses BAND 2 here also which is WCDMA 1900) where i live for 3G (fake 4G). When i switch back to LTE and go into this hidden menu, it reports that it is connected on "LTE RRC:IDLE BAND: 17", which is what ATT uses in my area. So you may be in market that t-mobiles uses PCS band for 3G (BAND 2) and that would explain why you do not drop on EDGE. It would be a lot clearer when you report properly on which BAND you are connected. What is concerning is that you say you loose data when making calls, which makes me think that you indeed drop to EDGE while on calls, which is painfully slow and makes you think you lost data. As i said, it would be easier to understand what is going on when you provide the whole picture ...
This is what i know that t-mobile uses on 3G:
-- BAND2 and BAND4
and LTE:
-- BAND4 and BAND17 (they might be using BAND2 too in some markets)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I did this: I changed the settings on my G850M to force 3G. The code(s) you said to put in didn't work for me, so I used *#0011# instead. It said two different things, depending on when I did the test. Once it said 1900 Band 2, and once it said 1700 Band 4. Then, I put it back to LTE and it said Band 4. I've attached screenshots of all three. This is T-Mobile in Portland, OR.
Also, I found one reasonably reliable Internet source that indicated the G850M does support 3G Band 4. Here's the link:
Samsung Peru's Specs on the G850M
I was also hesitant to buy the G850M for the same Band 4 reason, until I found the specs on the Samsung Peru Website. The screenshot below shows that the M indeed does have 3G Band 4.
Corvussimo said:
OK, I did this: I changed the settings on my G850M to force 3G. The code(s) you said to put in didn't work for me, so I used *#0011# instead. It said two different things, depending on when I did the test. Once it said 1900 Band 2, and once it said 1700 Band 4. Then, I put it back to LTE and it said Band 4. I've attached screenshots of all three. This is T-Mobile in Portland, OR.
Also, I found one reasonably reliable Internet source that indicated the G850M does support 3G Band 4. Here's the link:
Samsung Peru's Specs on the G850M
I was also hesitant to buy the G850M for the same Band 4 reason, until I found the specs on the Samsung Peru Website. The screenshot below shows that the M indeed does have 3G Band 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for doing this. It is always good when things get confirmed like this. Now I can safely purchase one for wife. Where did you purchase it, if I may ask?
bormasina said:
Thanks for doing this. It is always good when things get confirmed like this. Now I can safely purchase one for wife. Where did you purchase it, if I may ask?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help. I was a still a little concerned myself until I ran this test.
I bought it on eBay from The Pwrsellers
They currently have black, white, and gold for $450. Mine was a Brand New Open Box black model, so it was another $50 less than that. So far, so good! There is no cell company boot-up screen, and the bloatware is at a refreshing minimum.
AT&T now sells brand new for $319.99 retail.
I was at att last weekend and they wanted like $600 to buy it the 850a.
I got the 850m from target online via Amazon. It does work on t mobile.
jjsaustin said:
I got the 850m from target online via Amazon. It does work on t mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I almost bought one from Target, too, but this less expensive one came up just at the right time. FWIW, the one I bought from The Pwrsellers came drop-shipped from Amazon as well, so that makes me think most (if not all) the companies selling the G850M in the US right now are drop-shipping through Amazon.
Corvussimo said:
Yeah, I almost bought one from Target, too, but this less expensive one came up just at the right time. FWIW, the one I bought from The Pwrsellers came drop-shipped from Amazon as well, so that makes me think most (if not all) the companies selling the G850M in the US right now are drop-shipping through Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought from target for the return policy, especially since I was not sure if it was going to work on tmobile .
I just bought another one to see if the reception is any better and I will return the one with the worse reception.
Thanks for 1700 Band Test on 3G
I have found APN Settings for Metro/Tmo important for best performance on my Factory Unlocked 850M.
MetroPCS frequently uses Tmo APNs even on Metro PCS Phones.
With Factory Unlocked Phones I assume trial and error may be best for an advanced Phone like Alpha.
I tried the Settings used for Note 4 on Tmobile which worked but not as well as what I use now but open for suggestions lol.
Here are current best I have found which are fast Data and allow
Internet while on calls about 90% of the time.
I always have good voice and audio on calls.
Here's current APN Settings :
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
I have found that IPv4/IPv6 seems to perform a bit better than IPv4 .
But I have NO IDEA what these do in Tmobile Protocol.
Also I leave BEARER unspecified but have tried LTE also.
The only problem I sometimes have is no data on 3G and Phone does not bounce back to LTE AFTER a call- often turning data off and on with Quick Toggle restores LTE quickly.
Oddly this is an intermittent problem.
Often I have quick Internet while on a call but sometimes no Internet on a Call.
Here are the screenshots from my Alpha 850M which has no Carrier Branding when I forced 3G also some H showed and I got
1900 band in 3G but have not seen 1700 3G but in LTE in second screen.
I am in Miami area which is reframed so Metro/Tmo uses 1900 more here for 3G - Corvussimo - how did you get 1700 to show on 3G - is yours a Factory Unlocked unbranded Alpha ?
Thanks for both your help very interesting stuff.